What the Bears can learn from the Rams' turnaround and Jared Goff's emergence

Jared Goff figured it was serious when he got the call. The Rams were interviewing to fill their head coaching vacancy. Of the eight candidates, only one impressed team officials enough for them to arrange a meeting with the franchise quarterback.

Sean McVay didn’t know Goff. He also didn’t scout him extensively before the 2016 draft. His Redskins already had a quarterback. But the young coordinator saw enough talent and toughness in Goff’s winless rookie season to want to buy stock.

When Goff arrived at the hotel in Del Mar, Calif., McVay was waiting in a conference room upstairs with a video montage of the offense for which he called plays during the previous two seasons.

The NFL’s third-ranked offense in 2016 had receivers running open, friendly progressions and opportunities to move the pocket. Goff watched as McVay detailed the success they could achieve together.

It’s hard to believe that was only 11 months ago. Last December, the Rams were 4-8. Their coach and general manager were under fire. Their highly-drafted quarterback was laboring through his transition to the NFL from a spread system. They finished last in the league in total offense. Headed for their 13th-consecutive non-winning season, the Rams were stuck.

As Mitch Trubisky, John Fox and Ryan Pace see out this wrecked Bears season, it’s worth examining how the Rams addressed similar questions and challenges a year ago.

Now, as the Rams (9-3) play host to the Eagles (10-2) Sunday, they’re an example of how the Bears might engineer their own turnaround. This year’s Cinderella has surged from a 4-12 upheaval into the NFC West lead with four games to go.

Their ascent started last Dec. 12 when they ousted Jeff Fisher, a defensively-rooted coach who spent 22 seasons in a head role, including five with the Rams. They replaced him with McVay, an innovative, charismatic, assured offensive coach who at age 30 was the youngest head coach ever hired in the modern NFL.

McVay, in turn, has helped silence the premature “bust” label on Goff. After Goff went 0-7 as a rookie, he has improved his passer rating from 63.6 to 98.4. The top draft pick in 2016 had five touchdowns and seven interceptions in Year 1; in Year 2 he has 20 and six.

There’s risk in oversimplifying the Rams’ turnaround, which has resulted from an interconnected set of changes to the coaching staff, roster and team culture. Through a Bears lens, though, some major influences stand out. And to those invested in the Rams, the catalysts are obvious.

“The main thing for us was the new coach,” said Eric Dickerson, a Hall of Fame running back. “I don’t care if he’s 13 years old if we’re winning. The guys respect him. He has morale up, making the sport fun again. We have a real offense now. A real offense. It starts at the top of your organization. It has to be run right from the top.”

Photos of quarterback Mitch Trubisky, whom the Bears selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft.

A rare breed

McVay didn’t need to become an NFL head coach last January. He could have gained another decade of experience as a coordinator and still have been considered a young coach on the rise.

But when the Rams and 49ers asked to interview him for their respective vacancies, there was no reason to pass. Even if he didn’t get the job, the experience would be invaluable.

When he met with the Rams’ search party, including general manager Les Snead and chief operating officer Kevin Demoff, there was an instant connection. They were captivated by McVay’s maturity and his philosophies about leadership that were shaped by John Wooden and Bill Walsh.

Before the interview, McVay put all 205 of Goff’s rookie-year passes under a microscope. Goff started the final seven games, four before Fisher was fired, and lost them all. But McVay sensed a car engine close to revving up.

Goff’s second start was against the Saints in the Superdome. Even in that 49-21 loss, the signs were evident. Goff beat a Cover-0 blitz by hitting Tavon Austin on a corner route. He completed a 6-yard checkdown after standing in and getting blasted by an unblocked safety. He set protections, escaped the pocket to extend plays.

McVay didn’t know how Goff was programmed mentally, but his performance was telling.

“You feel very confident he has the physical traits you’re looking for,” McVay said. “And then you see an organization that’s committed to doing things the right way. Being able to do it in the L.A. market with a lot of marquee, young players, especially on the defensive side of the ball, that was extremely encouraging.”

The Rams thought McVay met their three priorities for a new coach: a skilled communicator, an innovative tactician to ensure they had a competitive edge on the field and an energetic presence to represent the franchise in the new market on and off the field.

Being trained on offense was not a prerequisite. In fact, the Rams interviewed Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia and current Panthers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks.

McVay could help Goff, though, and that was critical. But the Rams were broken with problems beyond quarterback. Too often players would arrive late for meetings, and there were too many repetitive mental errors in games, multiple players said.

The Rams believed McVay would cure that, and, so far, he has.

“The youth, the age, actually helps him relate to the younger guys,” Snead said the day McVay was introduced as Rams coach. “If he’s 30-31 years old, there are a lot of guys 21, 22, 23, 24 years old, that are very important to this organization. So, it’s a young man’s business.”

Not just any young man, though. Goff realized that during his initial 30-minute meeting with McVay, and his conviction has deepened as they have grown together this year.

“He has raised the level of how you go about your business, how professional you are, how you watch film,” Goff said. “You have to play well, but I think ultimately and maybe most importantly is getting that right culture and the right people around you.”

McVay didn’t use that first meeting only to showcase his offense. He needed to test Goff’s mental wiring. To ingrain accountability successfully into the team, he needed his quarterback to set that standard.

McVay probed Goff about how he processed his winless first season and what went wrong. The questions intentionally created opportunities for Goff to blame others or make excuses.

“He didn’t do any of that,” McVay said. “He took it on himself. To me, that accountability showed me he was a real confident guy who had some (moxie) to him. Saying, ‘I have to do better’ — that extreme ownership said a lot about him.”

Photos of the Bears general manager Ryan Pace.

Quarterback-centric

Strong winds that fueled devastating wildfires 14 miles north of Rams headquarters also affected the team’s practice Thursday. A blocking pad and pair of receivers’ gloves blew across the field as brown smoke hovered in the distance.

Goff warmed up with 20-yard passes that cut through the gusts. To the 23-year-old, his success this season is just the natural progression in his transition from Cal’s spread offense to the NFL.

“I’ve always had confidence in myself,” he said. “Nothing could change that. Maybe I was naive, but I didn’t feel like it went as bad as the media made it sound.”

Goff’s introduction included games against the Patriots and Falcons, the two Super Bowl participants; a road matchup against Saints quarterback Drew Brees; and a road game against the division champion Seahawks. Three games were under an interim coach. Not exactly fertile soil.

“Every decision in this organization since we’ve been here has been aimed with the quarterback in mind,” LaFleur said. “I think that’s absolutely critical.”

Some of the mechanics they emphasize were new to Goff. Certain details on play-action passes, turning his back to the defense, footwork on specific drops from under center and in the quick passing game.

They identified three areas to improve: ball carriage in the pocket, using his eyes to manipulate the defense and calming down his feet.

“It was a little raw from the start of it,” LaFleur said, “but his coachability is as good as anybody I’ve been around.”

Now, 12 games in, LaFleur asserts Goff uses his eyes as effectively as any quarterback he has worked with, a group that includes the Falcons’ Matt Ryan last season in his MVP campaign, the Redskins’ Kirk Cousins and Matt Schaub with the Texans.

Goff also has sharpened his feel for when to escape the pocket and make an off-script play, evidence of his growing comfort.

The Rams knew they had to help Goff by solidifying his supporting cast. They overhauled the receiving corps by trading for Sammy Watkins, signing Robert Woods and drafting Cooper Kupp. They also signed left tackle Andrew Whitworth and center John Sullivan. Goff suddenly had friendly targets and time to find them.

Meanwhile, McVay was intent on exploiting Goff’s strengths. And when the offense excelled in no-huddle situations during the preseason, they expanded the package by coding play calls.

A normal call such as: “South Left Sting 2 Jet Y Obama X Clear” is given a short nickname, such as “TMZ” or “Hollywood.”

The results are undeniable. Last December, after Goff’s fourth start, running back Todd Gurley said the Rams “looked like a middle school offense out there.” Now, they’re fourth in total offense, and no team has scored more points.

“I didn’t want Jared to wind up like my friend Jeff George in Indianapolis, where he had all the talent in the world and no coach to coach him,” Dickerson said. “When they got McVay, that turned it around.”

A look at the Bears' quarterbacks through the years, from 1934 to present day.

Undefined rookies

From afar, Goff looks at his buddy Trubisky and sees himself one year ago. Pushing to gain command of a pro-style offense. Soaking up as many experiences as possible. Focused on improving while ignoring anyone rushing to judgment.

Within the last 10 days, they chatted on the phone. (They’re represented by the same agent and have worked with the same quarterback coach.) Goff takes pride in how steady his confidence remained after last season, and he senses that resolve in Trubisky.

“Mitch can do the same thing (as me),” Goff said. “He has all the talent in the world. Has the work ethic. He’s young, but he’s mature. He understands this (season) isn’t his whole career right now. He has time to grow and mature. He’s very similar to how I felt about it last year. Don’t let this define you, by any means.”

Goff has credibility as a quarterback defining himself in a positive way.

“I hope I’m a representative now of spread guys being successful,” he said.

McVay deserves some credit for that. But where does that leave the Bears?

If there were a high-end head coach store with a Christmas sale, the answer would be easy. But special coaches are rare. If the Bears do decide to change coaches, there’s no guarantee they could identify the next one, let alone convince him to come on board. That guy might not even exist.

Add that to everything else the Bears must reconcile in the final days of 2017. Meanwhile, they look up at the Rams and are left to wonder if they ever will escape the NFL’s pit of misery.